Further Delays for Chinese Bishops

Catholic bishops elected by several mainland Chinese dioceses will have to be subjected to further scrutiny before they are consecrated, said a leader of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Anthony Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the government-sanctioned association, has said that five dioceses over the last year or more have reported the results of their elections to the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China for its approval. While one of the dioceses has two retired bishops, both approved by the Vatican, the other four dioceses are without bishops. Liu said it would be difficult to say if the candidates would be approved and installed this year. "There is no need to ordain a bishop right after his election [according to government-approved regulations],” he added.